A wholly owned subsidiary of British Airways, OpenSkies emerged as a result of an agreement that liberalized aviation between the United States and the European Union. The carrier launched service June 19, and currently flies New York-Paris/Orly. New York-Amsterdam service launches October 15, 2008.

At the time of this test, Open Skies offered Business Class, Premium Economy (a.k.a. Prem+), and economy aboard a Boeing 757. Since then, the carrier announced that they will be eliminating coach in favor of expanding Premium Economy to 40 seats (Business Class stays at 24 seats). Here’s my recent experience flying OpenSkies’ Business Class and Prem+.

Business Class: New York/JFK to Paris/Orly

Check-in: I was running very late so while I was on the Van Wyck Expressway, I called reservations and asked them to have a check-in counter agent print my boarding pass so I wouldn’t miss the 45-minute check-in cutoff. They came through—a great start.

Security: Just around the corner from the counter. For premium BA passengers only. Took less than ten minutes.

Seat Experience: I recognized the Business Class seats right away as BA retreads. They have been reupholstered, recline 180-degrees, and are better than 90% of Business Class seats in the air today. However they are a bit hard—at least to this bottom. Adjacent seats face in the opposite direction, so with the partition down, you see your mate head-on. If you’re in a window seat, you have to hop over the aisle seat to get out (not cool)—except for seats 6A and F. The best aisle seats are in the front of the cabin, as they don't have anyone climbing over them. At full recline, the seats are six feet long. If you’re 6’3”, as I am, you’ll find your knees in the air when lying on your back. If you lie on your side, you’re fine.

Crew: Delightful.

Conclusion: The only lie-flat Business Class seat on the New York-Paris route. Worth it for that alone.

Premium Economy: Paris/Orly to New York/JFK

Airport / Check-in: Better than de Gaulle, Orly offers convenient connections to many other cities, such as Prague, where we made a connection on SkyEurope with no hassles.

Security: No line for premium travelers. Took more than 30 minutes. Be early.

Seat Experience: Seats seemed to be American Airlines’ old Business Class, which makes for a fantastic Premium Economy experience. This cabin, too, had much of EOS’ exclusive feel. Very nice at the price.

[caption id="attachment_5281" align="aligncenter" width="300"] OpenSkies’ Premium Economy seats[/caption]

The seat offers a 140-degree recline, 52-inch pitch, and has a personal entertainment unit. Tip: Don’t sit near the bathroom (row 12). There was a constant stream of economy class passengers trekking by; many even sat down in the two empty Prem+ seats in front of us.

Crew: Inexperienced. They let unruly economy class passen-gers take over our cabin!

Conclusion: The seats may be the best value for the money on the North Atlantic. Make sure you sit in the forward Prem+ cabin to avoid the line for the loo. Some will argue this one, but I would rather pay for OpenSkies Premium Economy than Air France’s Business Class, as AF’s seats are so steeply angled when in the reclining position that you slide down.